Feeding or loading apparatus.



F. ZAITZ.

FEEDINQ 0R LOADING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 25. 1915.

Patented Feb. 15,1916.

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FRANK ZAITZ, OF LEADVILLE, COLORADO, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-THIRD '1'0 V. HOMER PEERMAN AND ONE-THIBD TO AUGE L. GROSS, BOTH OF LEADVILLE, COLORADO.

FEEDING OB- LOADING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

T 0 all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK ZAITZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leadville, in the county of Lake and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Feeding or Loading Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus especially designed for feeding or loading various kinds of material, such as feeding ores or other materials to crushers, or loading railroad cars with various materials, and performing other similar kinds of work.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a feeder or loader which may be employed in conjunction with an ordinary type of traveling crane and'which may be suspended from and operated by the'crane, or which may include as a part of its structure the equivalent of an overhead or traveling crane mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide a feeding or loading apparatus which is supported for movement in two general directions, namely, toward and from thefeeding or loading point and in a direction transversely thereof, and which embodies a suspended bucket or shovel adapted to be raised and lowered to inoperative and operative positions, to be tilted to gathering and dumping positions, and to be manipulated to readily take up the load, convey the same to the point of deposit and then return for a succeeding gathering operation.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein fully described and claimed, reference bein had to the accompanying drawings in w ich: Figure 1 is a vertical section through a building structure provided with my improved feeder or loader, the latter being shown in the present instance as a device for iloader is arranged, which may be disposed adjacent to a railway track 2, for loading dirt, ore, coal or other material into cars 3, one of "which is shown in position to be loaded. As stated, however, the apparatus may be employed for feeding ore to crushers, and for performing other feeding or loading operations.

The apparatus includes in general an overhead or traveling crane structure embodying a main or lower wheeled carriage 4 arranged to travel upon track rails 5 in adirection parallel with the car or receptacle to be loaded. This main carriage includes a pair of longitudinally extending beams or track rails 6, forming a partof the frame thereof, which beams or rails are preferably of the I-beam type. Supported by this main carriage 6 is an upper or crane supporting carriage 7, the wheels of which run upon the upper horizontal flanges or webs of the rails 6. It will of course be understood that the crane structure as a Whole, including said carriages, may be operated by any suitable source of power, whereby both carriages may be caused to travel as a unit on the rails and the upper carriage caused to travel ndependently on the rail 6. As a part of its equipment, the carriage 7 is provided with a pair of windlasses or winding devices 8 and 9. The feeder or loader per 86 comprises a bucket or shovel 10, preferably in the form of an oblong rectangular shallow pan open at the top and front. This bucket or shovel 10 is pivotally connected, as at 11, to the downwardly and forwardly curved ends 12 of a pair of hangers or suspending arms 13, which are sultably connected and braced and provided with longitudinally extending slots 1 1 closed at their upper ends by caps 15, which slots receive and slidably and pivotally engage the ends of a cross shaft or axle 15 carrying wheels or rollers 16 to run and travel upon the inwardly extending portions of the lower horizontal flanges of the rails 6, whereby the bucket or shovel is adapted to be vertically adjusted to different elevations and to be swung longitudinally in either direction.

Bracing arms 17 are pivotally secured at their lower ends to the hangers or suspending arms 13, as at 18, and thence extend upwardly and rearwardly therefrom at an oblique angle, said arms being rigidly conneeted to each other in any suitable manner. The bracing arms 17 are longitudinally 'slotted at their upper ends asat 17 for sliding and pivotal engagement with the ends or a shaft or axle 19 carrying wheels or rollers 20 which engage and run along the undersurfaces of the horizontal flanges of the beams or track rails 6.

Pivotally connected with the forward end of the shovel is a bail 21 provided with a central eye 22 for the attachment of a hook or grapple 23 on a pulley block 24 carried by a raising and lowering cable 25. This cable 25 is adapted to be wound upon and unwound from the Windlass or drum 8 to raise and lower the suspended shovel, it being understood that in such raising and lowering operations slotted ends of the arms 13 and 17 slide upon the shafts 15 and 19 and the traveling wheels or rollers of said arms 13 and 17 pivot on the beams or rails 6, thus allowing the bucket to be swung upward to travel over the pile of material or other 0bs ructions wholly in the clear. The rear end of the shovel is provided with an eye 26 with which engages a hook or grapple 27 carried by the pulley block 28 of a hoisting rope or cable 29 adapted to be wound upon and unwound from the Windlass or drum 9, so that the shovel may be tilted to different working or dumping angles on its vpivotal supports 11. As shown, these pivotal supports 11 are at a point just a little in advance of the transverse center of the shovel, rendering the rear portion of the shovel of prepondering Weight and facilitating the control of the shovel through the action of the cable 29. Pivoted traction hooks 30 are provided upon the carriage 7 and adapted to be thrown into andout of engagement with the shaft or axle 19 by means of a lever or other suitable control device 31, so that a positive traction connection may be provided between the carriage and suspended shovel to adapt the shovel to run with the carriage 7 in its travels on or with the carriage 4.

From the foregoing description it will be readily understood that my invention provides a feeding or loading device for general use which may be attached to an ordinary type of overhead or traveling crane, or which may embody a crane of this character as part thereof, so that the shovel may be conveyed or transported in two general directions horizontally at right angles to each other, also raised and lowered to different levels, and also tilted to different gathering and dumping angles to the horizontal, allowing the feeder to be moved in all necessary directions for the purpose of taking up and transporting the material to the car or other receptacle or appliance to be fed or loaded. It will also be evident that the device may be elevated to an inoperative position so that the crane may be used alone for any of the purposes for which it may be adapted or that the feeder or loader may be entirely removed from the crane in a quick, ready and convenient manner. The device may therefore be used where a crane is already available, or it may be constructed for use in connection with an ordinary type of overhead crane, or the crane and loading device may be built and sold as a unitary article of manufacture for installation and use.

I claim 2- 1. In a feeding or loading apparatus, the combination of a main carriage, a second carriage mounted to travel upon the main carriage, hangers pivotally supported from and provided With wheels to travel upon the main carriage, a bucket pivotally mounted upon said hangers, means for controlling said bucket from: the second carriage, and means for connecting said bucket for travel with the second carriage.

2. In a feeder or loader, a main carriage mounted to travel in one direction, a secondary carriage mounted to travel upon the main carriage in a direction at right angles thereto, hangers provided with wheels or rollers pivotally supported from and mounted to travel on the main carriage, a bucket pivotally mounted upon said hangers, bracing means connected with the hangers, and having wheels or rollers arranged to pivot ally engage and travel uponthe main carriage,'means for controlling the bucket from the secondary carriage, and means for connecting the bucket for travel with said secondary carriage.

3. In a feeder or loader, the combination of main track rails, a carriage mounted to travel upon said rails, said carriage having track rails arranged at right angles to the first-named track rails, a secondary carriage mounted to travel upon the rails of the main carriage, winding devices upon said secondary carriage, a wheeled axle mounted to run upon the track rails of the main carriage, suspended hangers slidably and pivotally engaging said axle, a bucket pivotally supported upon said hangers, bracing means provided with wheels or rollers to pivotally engage and travel upon the track rails of the main carriage, cables connected with the front and rearvportions of the bucket and controlled by said winding devices upon the secondary carriage, and traction grapples upon the secondary carriage adapted to be thrown into and out of engagement with the said wheeled axle.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK ZAI'IZ Witnesses:

V. HOMER PEERMAN, AUGE L, GRoss. 

